The present invention is directed to boomerangs, and it is intended primarily to be applied to boomerangs used for recreational purposes.
The archetypal V-shaped boomerang was used primarily as a weapon for hunting, the intent being to return the boomerang to the vicinity of the thrower only when the target was not hit. No attempt ordinarily was made to catch the boomerang, and such an attempt would have been dangerous because boomerangs of this type typically dash downwardly during the last few seconds of flight, making it quite likely for the thrower to catch the boomerang somewhere other than in the palm of his hand. Accordingly, the aboriginal users of this type of boomerang were ordinarily satisfied to allow the boomerang to fall to the ground before retrieving it. Although this mode of operation was satisfactory for hunting purposes, it is thought that its use as a toy was somewhat limited. If it were safe to attempt to catch the boomerang at the end of its flight, on the other hand, a fairly engaging game would result.
A design that is somewhat more suited for recreational purposes is the cross-stick boomerang, which is less dangerous than the V-shaped type. However, it is ordinarily somewhat difficult to obtain very much distance with the standard cross-stick device. In addition, the conventional cross-stick boomerang tends to return quickly, often without achieving very much height. This is desirable for recreational purposes because the boomerang may thereby not give the thrower enough time to position himself beneath it as it returns.
It is accordingly the object of the present invention to adapt the cross-stick booomerang more effectively for recreational application by achieving greater distance and a more leisurely rate of descent.